Security News > 2020 > January > Pwn2Own Miami Contestants Haul in $180K for Hacking ICS Equipment
The very first Pwn2Own hacking competition that exclusively focuses on the industrial control systems has kicked off in Miami.
On Day One, overall, there were six successful hacking attempts and two partially successful attempts against eight hacking targets, according to ZDI. On Day Two, there were three successful hacks and two partials against four total targets.
OPC UA serves as the universal translator protocol in the ICS world, used by almost all ICS products to send data between disparate vendor systems.
The HMI connects the operator of an ICS to the various hardware components of the ICS. Attackers that take over the HMI can also prevent the operator from seeing process issues in the ICS until it is too late.
"To overcome these issues, we worked with multiple people and companies within the ICS industry to ensure we have the right products and categories to create a meaningful test of the security of these products and protocols. As with our other contests, Pwn2Own Miami seeks to harden these platforms by revealing vulnerabilities and providing that research to the vendors. The goal is always to get these bugs fixed before they're actively exploited by attackers."